Dangers of Reality
by Ema2010
Summary: Anger.Hate.Betrayal.Loss.Grief.Tormented by these emotions while partaking in The Bachelorette, will Bella somehow open up her heart for Love?Or will her past demons blind her? A bit OOC, but read for laughs, tears, surprise, and eye rolls.Oh, and review
1. A New Beginning

_**So, here's the first chapter. Thanks a bunch to my beta writingunderatree for her quick betaing!**_

_**Disclaimer: All Twlight related characters, plot lines, etc belong to Stephanie Meyer, everything else is emi12895's. Dont steal it.**_

I arrived at the Marriot hotel in New York City on May 12, tired from the long journey. I checked into the penthouse set up for me, and quickly reviewed my agenda for the day. At 6PM, I had a meeting with Mr. Harrison at the studio, and then would have a follow up "tour" of the next 5 months of my life.

My name is Bella Swan, and I am a bachelorette. I auditioned for ABC's reality show, The Bachelorette, a few weeks ago right after my break up with Mike. I was angry at him for cheating on me, even though we had been in a relationship for _4 fucking years_. So, when I heard about the auditions, I jumped at the opportunity, even though never in my mind did I would think I'd be chosen.

When I received the call saying that I'd been selected, I was shocked. I figured they would probably choose a girl who was a lot older, more sophisticated, and definitely prettier. I was just an average…a plain Jane.

After I graduated from Fork's High School at the age of 17, I got a scholarship to Dartmouth. Since I was almost done with 3 years of college already, I transferred my credits and finished my undergrad for English Literature. Now, I'm 23; and doing my Master's degree while working for Volturi Books. Me and my 2 co-workers, Heidi and Chelsea basically ran all 7 of the stores in New Hampshire.

My life wasn't exactly boring, it was just…unfulfilling. I had a good job with good money, a good education, great friends, and amazing family. I had my share of boyfriends, and I had a moderate social life. Yet still, there was just something missing-that spark that I'd felt with Mike; the one that made me eager to start the new day. I hadn't felt it for 3 years.

At first, Mike was the perfect boyfriend. In high school, we were great friends, always hanging out, studying, etc. we began dating when I turned 19, and it was bliss times 10. I had never felt so loved, so appreciated, so cherished, I felt invincible. Mike would always say that I'd be his wife one day, and that we would approach the future together, and stay with each other for eternity. I was a fool for believing him. After a year or so, Mike got more distant. At first, I didn't think much of it, figuring it was pressure from school or something. But months past, and I rarely saw him anymore. He didn't visit every night like he used to, I was never able to call him, he wouldn't reply to my emails. I only saw him once a week or so. Mike blamed it on school, saying it was hard for him to see me because he lived 10 miles away (cue the eyeroll). I thought I loved him, so I bought the lies. I bought the lies he told me for 3 damn years.

_The day we broke up was on his birthday. I decided to surprise him by showing up early for the party at his apartment. I remember hearing the sounds coming from his room, the moans and grunts. I thought he was just watching porn or something. _

_Until I opened the door._

_There Mike was, with a naked Jessica Stanley on top of him, her head thrown back in ecstasy. I screamed in anger, and saw Mike's alarmed face. He jumped up, pulled on his boxers, and ran towards me as I flew out of the apartment._

"_Bella! Wait!" he cried, as he pulled on my arm._

"_Don't touch me!" I screamed back, "Why, Mike, why?"_

_He shook his head sadly, "Bella, I had to." He whispered, "I love her. She gives me everything." _

_I laughed scornfully, "Everything?" I spat, "What about me? Your girlfriend? Huh? Wasn't I enough for you?"_

_What he had said next ruined me as a woman, "You were a lousy lay, Bella. I love you too, but I Jessica keeps me satisfied…don't you get it?" he asked._

_I slapped him the way my father taught me, and running away. _

I snapped out of my haze at when I remembered the sound of my slap. I was wiping the stray tears that fell down my cheeks when the phone rang.

Clearing my throat, I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Swan!" a voice drawled, "Glad you made it. I trust that your journey was comfortable?"

Oh, it was Chris Harrison.

"Yes Mr. Harrison, it was pleasant." I replied.

"Good, good. Now I was calling to see if you would mind us moving up our dinner a bit?"

"Oh, not at all. What time?"

"Well, why don't we make it a lunch meeting and have it around 3? That good with you?" he asked.

I glanced at my watch. It was 2:09.

"Sure, that's fine." I answered.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 3 then, there's an amazing steakhouse a few blocks away, we can have lunch there, if that's fine with you? It's very casual, there's not need to dress up."

"That's fine." I said.

"Good. I'll see you later Ms. Swan."

"Bye."

I turned off the phone and immediately headed to the shower, washing away the grime from the flight. I blow-dried my hair, and pulled it into an elegant bun, and pined up my bangs into a poof at the top of my head. I kept my makeup simple, a sweep of eyeliner and a smidge of lip-gloss. I then opened my suitcase, wary about the clothing my best friends had packed for me.

Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale were without doubt the greatest friends a girl could ask for. We had met in elementary, and had been inseparable ever since. Alice was a perky, energetic, fashion diva, with a sweet and loving personality. She was pixie-like, with her barely 5ft, tiny frame, spiky black hair, and large, shiny silver eyes that were always twinkling. Rosalie was the intimidating one, with a cold and reserved demeanor to outsiders, yet a fiercely protective and supportive friend. She was also the epitome of beauty, with her tall, curvy killer body, long golden locks, and deep blue eyes. Both of them put me to shame.

After high school, the two of them went on to fashion school in Europe for modelling. They only survived a semester before they realized that they weren't meant to be models, but designers. I remembered all the times Alice would call me up, complaining that the skirt she was forced to wear was too retro, or Rose crying because she couldn't have dessert. When they returned, they moved near me to New Hampshire and started a new clothing line, _La Vera Bellezza. _Now, they are globally famous and have over 3000 stores spread all over the world. When they aren't at home with their boyfriends, Jasper and Emmett, they travel across the world, advertising, partying, and meeting with other designers. Despite their sucess, they are the most down-to-earth girls, and never flaunt their fame.

I pawed through the suitcase, pulling out scraps of French lingerie, designer jeans and tops and skirts and blouses, elegant dresses, expensive jewelry and accessories, and an ungodly amount of shoes and makeup. Sighing, I chose a turquoise blue top and a flowy white skirt that came down to my knees. Slipping into the outfit, I added a gold necklace and shoved on gold wedges.

Just then, a there was a knock on the door. I peeped through the peephole and saw Mr. Harrison waiting on the other side. I opened it.

"Ms. Swan, pleasure to meet you again." He greeted, stepping inside.

"Bella, please call me Bella. It's nice to see you again too, Mr. Harrison." I replied.

"We'll be old friends then shall we? I'll call you Bella and you can call me Chris."

I smiled, "Alright, Chris."

We chatted for a few moments, and then went outside to the limo waiting. I slid into the leather seats, relishing in the tinted windows, air conditioning, and soft music playing from the numerous speakers. We arrived at the restaurant quickly, and were greeted by a very classy atmosphere. I guess in the celebrity world, "casual" is like "semi-formal" to normal people.

I could tell right away that Chris was quite accustomed to the high life. He obviously took advantage of his status as host of the show and I doubted that he ever payed for his meals. I guessed that all he had to do to get them free was smile brightly at a waitress and let his occupation somehow slip as he was being greeted.

As we ate our food, Chris brought me up to date on the whole reality show biz. I was to be at the studio, or assigned location everyday at 8AM. There, I would go through makeup, an overview of the day, and sometimes, a small interview. As for the men, there would be 25, and I wouldn't be able to personally meet them until the first taping. In between the 20 or so tapings, I would be able to meet and hang out with any of the guys, for an opportunity to learn more about them. At the end of each day, I might have another interview, and then could leave back for the hotel, . There was also the whole confidentiality agreement, saying that I would reveal any personal information about any of the men or cast to anyone. I could only talk to friends and family, and no press or media was allowed to have any sort of statement from me, unless it was pre-approved. I could still roam around the area and travel, but I was told that there wouldn't be much time to do that later on.

"I know it sounds complicated, Bella." Chris said as we were leaving, "But it's an easy routine to slip into. You'll have a lot of spare time, and in the end, it'll all be worth it, right?"

I thought about that missing spark, the chance at finding my soul mate, the chance to find my lifelong partner who would love me the way I wanted to be loved…

"Of course." I said.

I could only pray that this wouldn't end badly.

**_Review please!_**


	2. Settling In

_**Hey everyone! Hope you enjoy the next chapter, thanks to all the people who faved this story! Oh and thanks to my beta, writingunderatree, for her quick betaing.**_

_**Disclaimer: All Twlight related characters, plot lines, etc belong to Stephanie Meyer, everything else is emi12895's. Dont steal it.**_

I was rudely awaken from a pleasant dream by the shrill ringing of the phone.

"Hello?" I grumbled; my eyes still half closed.

"Your wakeup call, Ms. Swan." A bored voice answered.

I sighed and hung up. After a 5 minute battle with my drooping eyelids, I stumbled out of bed and quickly showered. For the day, I chose an inky blue button down, a khaki skirt, and strappy white sandels with roses on them. It was a bit chilly outside so I knotted a white, silk scarf around my neck. I did my makeup in a way that would make Alice proud: a sweep of dark blue eyeshadow at the top of my eyelids, a touch of eyeliner and mascara, and a nude lipgloss.

Finished with my first-day ensemble, I grabbed my purse and headed down to the lobby. About five minutes later, I found myself in a limo, being driven to the studio.

I was met by a tall, African-american women whose beauty rivaled Rose's. She was dressed in no-nonsense clothing, a white button down, black blazer and matching trousers along with low heels.

"Ms. Swan." she said, leading me inside. "My name is Angela and I will be your PA during your time on the show."

She had a clipped, monotonous voice, like she had said these words hundreds of times.

"Uhh…" I stuttered.

"Your room is right there." She continued, gesturing towards the door we just passed, a nameplate on it with the inscription 'Isabella Swan'.

"This is the staff room." She pointed to another closed door, a sign on it saying 'Staff Room'.

"That's the director's room, the kitchen, and the bathroom." Angela went on, pointing to each door accordingly.

She then proceeded to walk briskly up the marble stairs to another hallway.

"The makeup room, the interview room, the meeting room, the sound check room, the bathroom, and the scene set." She droned on. I really wanted to ask her to see _inside _any of the rooms for a change, but something told me she wouldn't comply.

"And here, Ms. Swan, is where you will be meeting." she finished, finally opening a door.

It was a large room, gray and dull, with a big oval table in the center, several chairs around it, a whiteboard, and a few file cabinets. So _plain_…if Rose or Alice saw this place, they'd probably die of a heart attack.

Chris was sitting at one end of the table, on the phone.

"…need my coffee at noon! Tell Lauren to file those papers on my desk and have Tanya call up James and remind him of the schedule. His flight is supposed to land around noon, so make sure it's done then. Oh and tell Carmen to have my reservations changed from Wednesday to Friday at 8. Also, make sure Irina has the new line of Clinique products unstocked, if we don't use them, we can kiss a big sponser goodbye. Lastly, call up Kate and remind her to bring the layouts for our meeting at 6AM tomorow. Thank you, Victoria."

He snapped his phone shut, "Bella, Angela." he greeted warmly, getting up. Angela nodded in reply and left the room.

"Come sit, Bella. Anything you need, coffee, water, bagel…?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

I shook my head, "I'm fine." I said, sitting down on the seat next to his.

"Good. Well, what we have here today are the profiles of the men." Chris said, sliding the 12 manila folders towards me.

"Oh."

"Yes, well these are yours now. You can take them to the hotel and read them more, but we'll go through them once together, shall we?"

"Sure."

"Ok. Well, let's start with Riley Cummings." he said, opening the first folder up.

"He's 28, lives in Memphis, works as a librarian and has 2 dogs."

"Is there a picture?" I asked.

Chris shook his head, "Nope. Just information."

"Okay."

"Next we have Tyler Crowley. He's 27, is an electrical engineer, and lives in Sandiego.

"Eric Yorkie, 25, lives in Indianapolis, and is a teacher in elementary school.

"Laurent Johnston, lives in Chicago, 26 and works for a clothing company.

"_Demetri Williams..._

"_Embry Call…_

"_Seth Clearwater…_

"_Felix Ramirez..._

"_James Hollaway…_

He droned on and on for the next minute or so, with his 2 second explanations of my "wooers". My attention was lost until he mentioned Jacob.

"Jacob Black, lives on the Quilette Reservation in Forks, Washington, isn't that where you're from?" he asked, but continued before I could reply, "Well, he's 25 and owns a car repair shop in Seattle and Port Angelos."

"Oh, Jake…" I whispered, the faded memories flitting through my mind.

"Is he someone you know?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged, "I only saw him once or twice when I went to the La Push bonfire with my dad. I was really young though, around 7 or 8. I didn't even remember him until now."

Chris sighed in relief, "Good, but keep this quiet. We cant really have him here if he's met you before, but what the press doesn't know wont hurt them. It's too late to find a replacement." he explained.

I nodded in agreement.

"Ah, and our last contestant, Edward Cullen. 25 years old, financial director of Cullen Corps, lives in…hmm, that's interesting."

"What?" I asked.

"It's written here that he basically flits all around the world. Half his time is spent negotiating deals all across Europe and the rest of the time he travel's across the USA. It says that when he has penthouses scattered across the globe…weird." Chris concluded.

I immediately crossed that Cullen boy out of my head. Anyone who travelled too much was a no-no for me. If I wanted travel, I would have stayed with my scatterbrained mother, Renee, who never stayed in one city for more than 5 months.

A cell phone rang and Chris picked it up.

"Hello?" he said.

"Gwen, honey, what's wrong?" his look of concern morphed into sudden anger, "WHAT? Put him on!" he yelled, turning quite red.

"Joshua, what did you DO? How could you do that! You were in detention last week too! What is your problem, son?"

The vioce on the other end replied, sounding somewhat like 'It wasn't my fault!'

"What? When?" Chris paused, "Alright, I'm on my way. And just for the record, you're grounded!" he snapped and shut the phone, fuming.

"Is everything alright?" I asked tentatively.

He shook his head, "No, I'm needed at a parent teacher conference right now. My son's a big troublemaker, he threw a spitball at the teacher."

"Oh."

"Well, I'm sorry to cut this short. Listen, it's only 9, and you have all these profiles to cover. Take a while to look over them. Also, I'll have tapes delivered to you. They're reruns of past shows. You'll need them to know how to act, how to dress, etc." he said, flicking his wrist.

"Why dont you take the next few hours to watch those? Then, go out for lunch, you're too skinny. Have you been given a tour yet?" he asked.

I shrugged, "A very incomplete one. I only saw the doors."

Chris chuckled, "Yeah, well Angela's quite brisk. She'll warm up to you eventually. Well, I'll have someone else give you a full tour of the building. That alone should take an hour or so. After that, Irina will come get you and she can take it from there. Questions?"

"Errr...no?" I replied, unsure.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow." he said, already on his way out the door.

"You too!" I called back to his retreating form

I took a while to read all of the profiles; there wasn't much in them, but there were 4 that interested me.

The first was Riley. He was bookish, scholarly, and loved to learn. He took classes at a community college and had a Master's degree in British Literature. He lived in a small cottage and was attached to his family. He had 3 sister's, all younger, who were still in college. Overall, he seemed very nice, low-key, and educated.

Next came James. He was 30, but described as 'youthful'. He was a writer for TIME magazine and had travelled alot in college. He had no family besides his older brother, who he visited every few years in Africa. He lived in an upscaled apartment in Wisconsin. I concluded that he would be...nice.

After that was Jacob. I took a few minutes to jog memories of him. I remember that he was warm and friendly, but loved to tinker. No wonder he worked with cars. He had two sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, both already married. He liked to debate and was obsessed with science. I liked him alot.

Finally, there came Edward. I didn't like him much, but he did intrigue me. I made a mental note to be wary of him. He was described as 'reserved', which I translated into 'cold and defensive'. Why was he even on this damn show? He was rich and successful, no denying it, but was distant from his family. It was written that he was adopted, and had troubled teenage years. Definately not someone I would want to spend the rest of my life with, but someone who piqued my curiousity.

I glanced at the classroom-like clock, it already 10:59...well, now 11:00. I sighed and neatly arranged the manila folders and then sat back, twiddling my thumbs. Chris said something about tapes...hmmm.

At that moment, the door burst open, and a young woman with flaming red hair glided in. She was dressed in a navy blue blazer with a shell white blouse underneath, and matching navy trousers. Her hair was also knotted back in a elegant bun, a pen sticking out of it. Why was everyone so formal around here?

"Ms. Swan, I have your tapes requested by Mr. Harrison." she said placing them uncerimoniously on the table.

"Uhhh, thank you. Where do I-?"

"I'll have Lauren bring in a TV if you'd like."

"Umm, how long are they?" I asked as my stomach growled.

She smiled lightly, "May I offer a piece of advice?" she asked, sliding into the chair next to me.

I nodded.

"Go watch them at the hotel. Many of them are quite intense, and analytical."

"Oh. okay, I think I will. Thank you Ms..."

"Victoria, Victoria Banes. I'm too young to be called a miss." she laughed.

I grinned, "Well, thank you Victoria. And please call me Bella."

Victoria's face became more friendly, and she relaxed her stiff posture.

"So, are you excited to start this show?" she asked.

I shrugged, "I guess. I'm nervous though, everything will be aired on national television." I confessed.

She nodded in understanding, "I know what you mean. I was scared out of my wits, myself."

I looked at her quizzically, "You were part of the show?"

"Yeah. Well, actually it was for The Bachelor, but still..." she trailed off.

"Wow, that's really cool. Is that how you ended up here?"

"Well, it was a process. I was offered a position a while after I was eliminated, apparently Mr. Harrison thought I'd make a good PA. I really dont like working here though, but the pay is good, so what the heck, right?"

I offered her a weak smile, "Yeah. It must suck though. I'd hate to wander after a rather...demanding...man. I heard him talking to you on the phone, he reminds me of that one lady from"

"Devil Wears Prada!" we both said together.

"He's ten times worse." she groaned, "And the managers and directors of ABC have this strict code of conduct shit. Ugh, it makes work almost impossible."

I patted her hand sympathetically, "Why dont you find a new job?" I asked.

"I dont know. I'm not very credited, I had to drop out of college a year early because my father died and I had to take care of my mother. I have an Associate's degree in business though." she confided.

I felt really bad for Victoria, "Well, I'm sure you'll find something someday." I said.

Victoria waved it off, "It doesn't really matter. I'm perfectly ok wit-"

An annoying ringtone broke through our conversation, and she gave me an apologetic look before answering her Blackberry.

"Yes, Mr. Harrison?" she said sweetly.

"Uh huh...Yes, Lauren did-" she replied before being interrupted.

"I called and unfortunately Kate has a cold, but she said that Garrett will drop the layouts off...I guess they're dating now..." she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did...I'll have that sent to her...Alright." she said, pressing the end button.

"Sorry, Bella. I need to go. His Highness says that I need to go deliver a few things to his wife. Anyways, I'll see you around, my office is one the top floor, you should stop by one day." she offered.

"I will. Do you mind giving me your cell?" I asked hesitantly. I figured she would be my go-to friend incase of an emergency.

"Sure." she replied easily, whipping a card out from her jacket. "Just call me whenever you want. Maybe we could go to lunch sometime." she suggested.

I thanked her and promised to see her one of these days. She was by far, the friendliest person I had met here.

I looked at the 10 or so cassettes in front of me, deciding that I would watch them before I went to bed. Then, I went back to twiddling my thumb and playing Bejewled on my phone.

After half an hour, another woman barged in. She looked in her mid-30's, but gave off a general aura of friendliness.

"Ms. Swan." she greeted, "My name is Carmen. I was sent to give you a more...adequate...tour of the building. Shall we go?"

I stood up, "Nice to meet you. Please call me Bella. Errr...should I leave the tapes here, or...?" my vioce trailed off.

She waved her hand, "Dont bother. I'll ask Angela to drop them off at your hotel room." she said.

"Alright." I smiled, following her outside. We took the next hour actually looking around the biudling, with the doors _open_. The rooms were all generic, lacking personal touches. The lobby was nice, and upscale, with classical music playing softly in the speakers. My room was decent, a few couches, a table, TV, computer, a large mirror and dresser, and a "nice" view of New York.

_More like the dark part of a trash filled alley. _I thought humorlessly.

The second floor was also basic, although I didn't get much of a view at all the sets. They were undergoing some cleaning at the time. The third floor was literally like an office building, with cubicles and several people running around. I met the secretaries, Lauren and Tanya. They were typical bimbo's, and that was the nicest description I could come up with. With their barely-there clothing (short, tight pencil skirts and button downs that were REALLY low-cut and stilletos that could probably poke an eye out), ridiculous amounts of makeup on their faces, and their predator-like expressions, I assumed that they were only here for the excess men.

My assumption was proven to be right when I heard Tanya make a phone call.

"Mr. Hollaway." she purred on the phone, licking her lips.

I glanced at Carmen, who was speaking with another lady. She caught my eye and grinned.

"...hope your flight was comfortable, I garuntee your stay will be too..." she smiled smugly.

"Mhmm, tomorow at 8, I'll come fetch you...Alright, and if you have any questions or need _anything_, just give me a call. Buh bye." she crooned, and then hung up the phone, a satisfied smirk planted on her face.

"What's he like?" Lauren asked Tanya.

"His vioce is soooo sexy." Tanya sighed dreamily, crossing her legs.

"Is it like Robert's from last year? He was the one with the absolutely huge d-"

"Bella!" Carmen barked, "Let's go, it's time!"

I stumbled outside, making a dicision to aviod those 2 bitches.

"Now, Bella, it's time for the interviewing. Remember, just relax and be normal, it'll be done quickly." Carmen said, "Oh, Angela, there you are! Well, I'll see you later. Bella."

"Bye." I said, watching Carmen trot off.

I was handed back to Angela who lead me to the interview room. It was tiny and congested, a blue marble backdrop, hard stool in the center, and a bunch of cameras and lights.

"Ms. Swan, Mr. Banner will be here in a moment to take your interview, and I will also send Irina to do your makeup."

"Uh…it's Bella, actually Angela." I mumbled, "When people call me Ms. Swan I look over my shoulder to find my step-mother."

Angela's black eyes pierced mine behind her shell glasses.

"Ms. Swan, I am not here to be your friend. I don't build relationships with petty little girls who have no other ambition in life than to have companionship." she sneered.

I was taken aback, "My bad," I snipped, "maybe you shouldn't be here if you're a feminist. And don't call me petty, I'm anything but."

Her eyes flashed dangerously before she turned on her heel and left. I stood uncertainly for a few moments before the door burst open again.

An tall, exotic women entered the room, dragging a small cart behind her. She had dark brown, almost black hair in a high bun at the top of her head, her bangs framing her oval face. She was dressed extraordinarily, in a one-shoulder, olive green silk dress, with puff sleeves. She had to be Brazillian, given her amazing skin tone of olive, hinted with a tan.

Her heels clicked on the carpet as she made her way towards me, jabbering away into her bluetooth. Her accent wasn't Brazillian, but close, like Argentinian, maybe?

"…have her right here. Yes, I have the products, although I don't think she needs them. Her makeup isn't too flawed, although we could use that lipstick…what?" her brow furrowed.

"No, I think we'll have to use a bronzer. She's so pale for heaven sake's, its crazy. Alright, come in 5. Thank you."

It took me a moment to realize they were talking about me.

"Hello, you must be Ms. Swan. I'm Irina, the makeup artist." She said warmly, shaking me hand. Her green eyes appraised me warily, scanning my outfit up and down.

"Bella, just Bella, please." I said, squirning.

"Bella, alright. I do like those shoes, I saw one's like those Milan. Have you been to Milan?"

I shook my head, "No, my friends, Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale, this was one of their products." I explained.

Irina's face lit up in recognition, "Ah…Rosalie Hale? I met her once in at a gala in Barcelona. Amazing woman, very...tenacious." she snickered.

I nodded, "They're the best." I proclaimed, already missing them. I'd have to call them up the moment I left.

Irina clapped her hands, "Well, now to business. I have 4 minutes to make you stunning, Bella. Let's get to work." she ordered, pushing me on to the stool. She dragged her cart over and opened her makeup chest.

"Let me just fix the eyeshadow, I'm going to put a bit of pale blue above the dark blue, excellent color choice, by the way. Close your eyes."

I complied and felt the soft tip of the sponge run over my eyelids.

"Now, are you a fan of Clinique? Because I'm going to use some on your lips. The nude looks to plain on you, maybe we can have it as dark red, or maybe pink…hmmm?"

I shrugged and she ignored me, and but put on a dusty rose instead. Next she proceeded to "bronze up" my face as she so kindly put it, caking my skin in tan powder that made me cough.

"Ok, my work here is done. Your hair, don't touch it. It's fine, gives it the nice sexed up look." she instructed.

"What?" I gasped. Was I walking around with sex hair? It was neat this morning!

"No no, Bella, that's good. More people will watch the show if they see how hot you look. Sex appeal, darling, its the key to advertisement." she said dryly, adjusting my scarf and walking out the door.

I wanted to process this little tidmit Irina shared with me, but I stored it in my mind for another time.

Exactly 43 seconds later, a short old man came trotting in, giving me a toothy smile.

"Isabella Swan! My name is Jordan Banner, and we're going to do your first interview! Are you excited?" he asked, his Australian accent very prominent.

I smiled, he was so friendly, and enthusiastic, "Yes, Mr. Banner, I am."

"Great! Now, just relax, don't worry about looking ugly or bad or anything, if you want to fix up your look, the computers will do it for you. I need you to shift so that you're staring right at me…good. I'm going to ask you some questions now, just a few in no particular order, but I don't want you to include the question in your answer, understand?"

I nodded.

"Perfect, now 3…2…1. Action."

The light's had dimmed, and a spotlight was cast on the marble backdrop. The big camera blinked.

"So, Isabella, what is your ideal man?"

I thought about that for a moment.

"The perfect guy for me would be someone that accepts me for me. He wont try and change me, and makes up for my weaknesses. He isn't distant, is warm, loving, caring, and wont leave me along for long periods of time."

"What do you hope to gain by coming on the show?"

"I want to find my dream guy, as well as make friendships with the others."

"How was your dating experience before the show?"

I hesitated and internally cringed. Then, I remembered a little piece of information Rose had shared with me a few years ago when we went to the airport, and I was a nervous wreck.

"_Bella, make sure you don't act shifty in front of them. We're already late, and if they start asking questions, we'll probably miss the flight, ok? Look them even in the eye, and give 5 word answers!" Rose sneered, pushing me towards the customs-dude._

i womaned up and stared at the camera, "I just broke up with my boyfriend of 4 years. But I've been in a few others." I said.

"What is your family like?"

"My father, Charlie Swan, and his wife, Sue, live in Forks. He's the chief of police in Forks. My mom, Renee, currently lives down in Florida with her husband, Phil Dwyer. She's a kindergarden teacher and Phil coaches a baseball team. I'm very close to all of them,"

"What about your social life? Tell about your friends, your job, and your studies."

"I have 2 best friends, Alice and Rosalie. We used to be roommates until they both moved in with their long-term boyfriends, Jasper and Emmett. I'm also friends with my 2 co-workers, Chelsea and Heidi. We manage a chain of bookstores, Volturi Books in New Hampshire. I got the job last year when I met with Aro, Marcus, and Caius Volturi at a seminar. I am working on my Master's for English Literature at Dartsmouth."

"What's a typical day in your life like?"

"Well, I'd go to my classes around 8am, then go straight from there to one of the bookstores around 1pm. I'd check in with Hiedi and Chelsea, and we'd work until 5 or 6. After, I'd go to a diner or cafe and do my homework and eat. I usually left around 8, and then either went to Rose or Alice's, or my ex-boyfriend's. Sometime's I just went straight home, though."

"Thank you, Isabella. I think that's enough for today. Tomorow, if you'd like, you can see how this turned out. We'll take snippets here and there and place them in accordingly. You can go home now, I'll escort you myself." Mr. Banner said, fiddling with the camera and standing up.

"Thanks." I muttered.

He nodded and we walked outside to the entrance.

"Have a nice day, Isabella. And just head up to your room tomorow morning and someone will come fetch you. Oh, and make sure to wear something comfortable, but bring a dress with you." he reminded me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Did no one mention? You'll be meeting the men tomorrow."

I plastered on a fake smiled, "Alright. Good bye." I said, slipping into the limo, knotting my hands together nervously. Shit, this was all so fast.

When I entered my hotel room it was only 2pm. I sighed and fell back on my bed, noticing that there were several tapes neatly stacked on the dresser. I pulled my phone out from my bag, and sorted through the missed calls. I had quite a few, two from Dad, one from Mom, two from Rose, two from Alice, four from Chelsea and Heidi, three from Volturi Books, and one from Mike. Groaning, I kicked off my shoes, tossed my scarf somewhere in the room and settled back on the bed with the remote.

I called Mike first, and as usual, he picked up on the first ring.

"Bella!" he bellowed joyfully.

"Yes, Mike? What do you want?" I sighed, turning the TV on to Oprah.

"Oh, Bells-"

"Dont use that nickname." I interrupted coldly.

"Sorry. Bella, I'm so sorry!" he wailed, "I just broke up with Jessica, and I've been trying to reach you for so long!"

"I dont care, Mike. We're done."

"Bella, I love you so much. I didn't mean anything I said, I dont love Jess at all."

I noticed the fact that he didn't acknowlegde what he said about me being a lousy lay. I really must be bad.

I snorted delicately, "Mike, you and _Jess _will make a great couple. You're both stupid, and you're both assholes." I spat.

Mike sighed, "Bella, I'm sorry. You and I had something, and we both know it. Why dont we just talk this out like adults?"

"Mike, you cheated on me for 3 years! You can just expect me to turn a blind eye to that! And dont pull the whole adult bullshit! You're NOT an adult! you're still a fuckin' kid!" I snapped.

He grunted angrily, "Fine, Bella! You dont want me? I'm the best fucking thing that ever happened to you, and you're missing the opportunity of a lifetime by leaving me! Whatever! I'll find someone else...and this time, it'll be someone who can suck my dick without throwing up!" he yelled.

The line went dead.

I let out a scream of rage. How DARE he bring that up! He promised that it wasn't my fault, that he had pushed my head too far...but wait, who was I kidding? Mike never kept his promises, what was so different about this one?

That saddest part was, he was right. My mind drifted back to the day it happened.

_We were in the middle of a heated kiss. Our hands were all over eachother, over and under clothing. I was straddling his lap on the hotel bed, and felt him grow large underneath me._

_"Fuck, Bells." he groaned, grinding against me._

_I moaned loudly, "Mike...I...ugh..." I rambled._

_Somehow, we ended up off the bed, with him standing against the footpost and me on my knees. We were both naked._

_"Take it, baby." Mike grunted. I had never given a blowjob before, but I knew how it worked. Inhaling deeply, I plunged my mouth on his erection, sliding in and out._

_He moaned, and threaded his hands in my hair, "Jeez, Bells...fuck...I'm gonna...FUCK!" he roared, and a stream of gooey stuff went down my throat. I didn't really taste it, because as he came, Mike pushed my head on to his erection...hard._

_His dick hit the back of my throat and I choked, trying to pry him away. He didn't notice, and kept riding out his orgasm. The moment he pulled out I threw up all over him._

_I should have realized then, that he was a selfish bastard._

_"Fuck! Bella! What the hell was that for?" he snapped, moving away._

_I coughed and heaved out my stomachs contents: lunch, siliva, blood, and semen._

_"I'm sorry." I managed to get out._

_He sighed and kicked a chair before running to the bathroom, leaving me barfing on the floor. He came out after a shower, freshly dressed. I however, was still clutching my stomach._

_"Dammit, Bella. Way to ruin a great night." he muttered._

_I stared at him with watery eyes, "I'm so sorry." I whispered._

_"Whatever. I'm going for a few drinks. I need to get that image out of my mind. I'll see you later. Make sure you clean up." _

_With that, he walked out the door. I whimpered and lifted myself to the shower, staying in until I was all pruny. I emerged and quickly cleaned up the mess and then crawled into bed, crying. Mike loved me, and gave me everything, and I could return the favor with a simple blowjob? I was pathetic._

I sniffed angrily and wiped away the tears pouring down my cheeks. I had never been so humiliated, so broken. I remembered how Mike had comforted me a few weeks later over the whole fiasco, assuring me it was alright. Of course it was alright, he started fucking Jessica then.

When I finally calmed down, I called Rose.

"Hey bitch!" she greeted and I immediately felt at ease, "How are ya?"

I heard Alice chirp in a "Hi Bella!" in the background.

"Nice to hear from you too, Rose." I replied dryly.

"You're on speaker, Bells." Rose said, and I heard Alice squeal.

"Bella! Did you wear the outfits we put together for you?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah, thanks, by the way. So, what's up?" I asked.

There was silence, and then Alice cried, "Jasper proposed!"

"What!"

"Yeah, it was just last night. Didn't you get the message?" Alice asked.

"Not really. Tell me about it!" I demanded.

"Oh my gosh, it was _so_ romantic. We went out sailing, remember thats how we met? And so we were there, and around sunset we started dancing, and all of a sudden he gets on his knee, and pulls out this amazing ring!" she said.

"It's a rock." commented Rose.

"It's a very pretty rock." Alice snapped, "I sent you a picture of it, have you checked your email yet, Bella?"

"No, I've been really busy. But congrats, Alli! Jazz is great for you. Tell him I said congratulations, okay?"

"Sure, Bells. Oh, but before you ask, the wedding's going to be in November, because that's when we met. You and Rose are both going to be my maids of honor because I really cant decide. And dont think you can weasel out of helping me plan. I _will _hunt you down." she threatened. I shivered, and could picture her standing with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised, and her mouth pressed in a firm line. Scary.

Rose laughed, "It's the wedding Nazi, Bells, your own personal Hitler. It'll be worse because you'll have another wedding to worry about when you get back." she said.

"Who's, yours?"

"No, asshole, yours!" Rose said, "What? Are you going to like, reject every single guy, or something? And if Emmett wants to keep his dick intact, he'd better pull out that Tiffany's box soon. Damn, it's been what, 3 years? I mean, he's not the brightest bulb when it comes to women, but really, can't he take a hint?"

"It'll take more than just a hint, Rose." I laughed, making a mental note to talk to Emmett.

"Oh I gave him more than enough. I mentioned kids, grandkids, moving, honeymooning, everything! Do I need to stick a sign on my forehead or something?" she ranted.

We all laughed, and then talked for an hour longer before hanging up. I felt sad, knowing I wouldn't be able to see them for a long time, but atleast there was still Skype, right?

Next I called Dad, who was watching a Mariner's game, so our conversation was only a few minutes long. He told me good luck, and have fun, and be safe, etc, etc, etc. Typical Charlie.

Renee was a bit more enthusiastic. She told me how to flirt properly, how to French kiss, and the best type of condoms. Was this that long overdue "talk" that I was supposed to get 10 years ago? Only when she mentioned sex moves did I cut the conversation.

"Sorry, Mom, I really need to go." I said hurridly.

"Ok, honey, but call me back! There's this amazing position that lets you-"

"Goodbye!" I said loudly, ending the call.

_Wow, that was akward._

I tried dialing both Chelsea and Heidi, but neither of them picked up so I opted to leave them voicemails.

Finally, I called back my employers.

"Vorturi Books, this is Karen speaking, how may I help you?" the receptionist greeted.

"Hey Karen, it's Bella." I replied, "Can you connect me to Aro? I think he called me."

"Oh Bella, hi! No, none of the 3 called you, I did. I have a few messages from them."

"Ok, shoot."

"Well, first, Aro says that your little advertising flyer was a great hit, and that sales went up significantly. So you get a raise when you get back. Marcus wanted me to tell you that a new request list was compiled, and he was wondering if you could look at it. And Cauis said that a new shipment of Chicken Soup books came in yesterday, and he wants to know if we should remove the Taste Berries' books to make space." she read off.

"Ok...tell Aro thanks, and warn him to not go overboard with the distribution. It can loose its touch. How much is my raise?" I asked with a laugh. "And 'yes' to Marcus, ask him to email me that list, I'll have it back by tonight. But to Cauis, tell him that I'm not so sure, and that it's more of Heidi's area." I replied.

"Alrighty! I'll have all that done. Good luck with your whole show thing, by the way." she said.

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later, Karen. Bye."

"Bye."

I plugged my phone into its charger and stood up, stretching. It was still only 5, and I had a few hours to kill. I decided order some food, probably Chinese, and watch those tapes.

45 minutes later, I sat comfortably in bed, in an ancient pair of cheerleading shorts and a tank top, with a carton of stir fry in one hand, and the remote in the other. After I had read the brief discriptions of each cassette, I decided to watch them as I needed them.

So, right now, I was watching Jillian Harris greet all her suitors. I payed particular attention to what she wore: a nice, formal dress that ended above her knees, strappy heels, and limited jewellry. Her makeup was subtle and her hair style was simple. She walked and conversed with each man easily, as if the camera's weren't even there. There was no hesitancy, no nervousness on her face. I prayed to God I'd pull this off just as well as her.

In the end, I the had watched beginning parts of 3 tapes, and had two hotel notepads full of notes. It was already 9, and I yawned sleepily, stumbling to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and cleaned up, then slipped back into bed, taking a break from reality to fall into a haze of unconciousness. I would need it, for there was no telling what tomorow would bring.

_**Review please! I need some feedback. Thanks. Next update probably next week.**_


	3. Anticipation

_**And, here we go. This is a transitionary chapter, but I SWEAR the bachelors will be in the next chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: All Twlight related characters, plot lines, etc belong to Stephanie Meyer, everything else is emi12895's. Dont steal it.**_

Once again, the shrill ringing of the phone disturbed me from my sleep.

"Hello?" I yawned.

"Your wakeup call, Ms. Swan." the same vioce as yesterday answered. Except this time, it was a bit more tired, considering it was 5:30am.

"Thanks." I muttered, hanging up. I swiftly got out of bed, shivering as my bare feet hit the wooden floor. I quickly preformed my morning rituals, making sure to shave my legs and armpits with precision, and then headed towards one of my suitcases.

I unzipped it and rummaged through it to find something suitable to wear. I then remembered that it was supposed bring a dress. From yesterday's notes, I pulled out a few and layed them on my bed, debating with myself.

Groaning in frustration, I considered calling Alice, she'd definately have a quick answer. But something told me that even perky Alice wouldn't be so perky at this hour. I sighed and scrolled through my contacts until I reached Victoria.

_Victoria! She'd probably be up right now!_ I eagarly dialed her number.

"Victoria Banes." a cold, curt voice answered.

"Hey, Victoria, this is Bella. Sorry, but, is this a bad time?" I stuttered nervously. _Maybe she wasn't a morning person..._

"Oh! Sorry, hey Bella!" she greeted alot more cheerfully. "No, I'm not busy. _He's_ in a meeting, so I get to relax for a few hours. Why?"

"Well," I said, blushing at my naivety, "I kind of need your help in choosing a dress for today." I admitted sheepishly.

"Oh." Victoria laughed, "I have that dilemma every morning. How 'bout I stop by? Have you had breakfast yet?"

I was taken aback by her kindness, "Uhh...no. Tell you what, I'll handle breakfast if you come and help me. How do you like your coffee?" I comprimised.

"Okay, I actually prefer it black. I'll be over in 10. What's your room number?"

"676." I said, flipping through the breakfast menu laying on the desk.

"Alright, see you in a few."

"Bye."

I ordered a coffee and a cup of tea along with bagels and toast. Not much of a breakfast, but it would have to do. After, I brushed my hair and let it air-dry for a while, then sat and waited.

Four minutes later, there was a knock. I jumped to open the door. Victoria stood there, looking really uptight, yet stunning, in a tight olive green suit and 4 inch heels. Her hair was straightened, and I marveled in how long it was, coming down to her hip, the bangs held back by a pretty clip.

"Victoria, hey! Come in, there's some food on the cart." I greeted, shutting the door behind her. She smiled and said 'hello' before wandering over inside.

"Oooh, you got tea. Do you like not have coffee in the morning or something?" she asked.

I laughed at the randomness of the question, "It wakes me up more, and it's healthier. Coffee is for lunchtime." I answered, sipping the warm drink.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, just eating, until Victoria spoke.

"Thanks for saving me from a dreadful morning. I felt like I was going to die sitting at my desk." she said.

"Oh no, I should be thanking you. I'm clueless when it comes to clothes, and back at home, my best friends shopped for me." I replied with a small laugh. I remembered all those days when Alice would have a panic attack because I didn't have the latest handbag from Versache or a new Armani bikini, and force me to go shopping.

Victoria waved my thanks off, "It's no biggie. Besides, it nice to hang out with someone for a change." she sighed.

I quirked an eyebrow, "Meaning?"

"I just dont get alot of time to do things other than work, you know? All my friends are back home, and I barely know anyone here. Irina and Kate are nice, but we only see eachother at work. I get real lonely around here." she said sadly.

"Well, I'm sure it'll get better." I said sympathetically, "And we can hang out whenever you want. Obviously I know nobody, and I have nothing to do really after the show, so..." my voice trailed off. I felt so bad for Victoria. She was trapped in a sea of rich, spoiled and demanding people.

She smiled and looked up at me, her blue eyes crinkling, "Thanks, Bella. Now let's get started on those clothes, shall we, it's 6:30, and this _will_ take a while." she stressed, effectively changing the subject.

I showed her my choices, and she clucked her tounge in disapproval before digging in my suitcase. I just sighed and leaned back against the wall, letting her do what she wanted.

After about 10 minutes, there was a small pile of clothing on my bed.

"Alright, here's what you're going to wear." Victoria said with finality, "I took the liberty of also picking out your clothes for this morning. Actually, I just grabbed the first set I could find. You certainly have a sense of fashion when it comes to pairing clothing!" she remarked.

"Oh dear no. That would be Alice and Rose's doing. They packed all the suitcases for me, locked me out of my own room to do it." I admitted, blushing.

She grinned, "Wow. Great friends." she mused, while I walked picked up the scrap of fabric on the top of the pile.

"What's this?" I asked, holding up the thin lacy black panties.

Victoria rolled her eyes, "Sexy lingerae will do wonder's on a woman's confidence. And, men always look for a panty line when a woman wears a dress. They'll have huge boners when they can't find one. The fabric of the dress will cover it up." she explained patiently.

I eyed her doubtfully, and grabbed the outfit for this morning. It was obviously compiled by Rose and Alice together. The red posy spring dress was Alice's doing, leaving me in a girly, innocent look. But, Rose being Rose paired it with a black woven button down, the tails of the shirt meant to be tied at the stomach. With it, a pair brown platform pumps and some golden bracelets.

"Wow, I love your friends." Victoria breathed in awe, "It's like they can take the most contrasting items and make them look HOT!"

I smiled, "You should definately meet them. They'd love you. Speaking of which, why are you dressed rather exquisitly today?" I asked.

"The day the bachelors show up, the entire staff is supposed to look really classy and sexy. Dont ask why." she smirked.

"Okay. Umm...the dress, I should just shove in my bag, right?" I asked uncertainly, eyeing the sapphire blue silk. It was pretty, but I was more worried about the treacherous heels paired with it. They were black, with thin straps around the ankles and 4 inch heels. They were also meant to be worn by women who had some sort of coordination...meaning, not me.

"Oh, no silly! This is too delicate to be just 'shoved in'!" she snapped, looking quite offended. "You need to carry it on a hanger, even better, a garment bag."

"Sorry." I mumbled, getting up and hastily hanging the dress on the hotel-provided hangers.

Victoria's phone rang just as I was starting on my makeup.

"Yes sir." she said quickly, "I'll be right there, I was just at the library...Yes, I'm sorry sir...Decaf? Alright." she sighed, shutting the phone and getting up.

"Sorry, Bella. I have to run. Apparently he got out of his meeting earlier than usual, I'll catch you later, okay?" she told me, hurriedly walking out the door.

"Okay. Sorry for keeping you, and thank you!" I called after her. I glanced at the clock after she left, I had 15 minutes.

"Shit." I muttered to myself, struggling to apply my mascara and lipstick at the same time. I finished getting ready and nearly ran to the lobby, already 2 minutes late.

Thankfully, the car had just pulled up, and I slipped in tiredly.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan." greeted the driver pleasently.

"Morning." I yawned back.

The drive passed quickly, and soon, I was left alone on the curb.

I took a deep breath as I entered the studio. I was met by Angela, who led me to my room silently. I hated her stony behavior towards me, and decided to apologize.

"Angela, I-"

"Ms. Swan." she snapped, "you can relax. I've taken the job of finding another PA for you. Clearly you are uncomfortable with me, and I you, therefore, as of right now I am no longer 'Angela' to you, I am 'Mrs. Webber'."

I was stunned and then angry. "Mrs. Webber," I began coldly, "I only spoke to make amends. But obviously you dont care for them, so I wont even bother."

She didn't respond, but stopped at my room and looked at me like I was a bug before walking away.

I huffed in annoyance and entered my room.

Carmen was there, with a coffee in her hand.

"Good morning, Bella. I figured you could use this, Victoria mentioned you looked a bit drowsy." she said, taking the dress from my hand and draping it on the back of a chair.

"Thanks, Carmen." I said, gratefully taking the Seattle's Best coffee from her hand.

Carmen nodded and proceeded to tell me that she was my new PA.

I smiled, "That's good." I said.

She smirked before saying, "I doubt you'll like me when I share your plans for the day with you."

I gulped.

"You're little meeting with your prospective husbands has been upped."

"Upped?"

"Yes, upped to noon, rather than 3pm."

"That's fine I guess, better to get it over with. What about right now, though?"

"You have a photo shoot, first, in that dress of yours. And then a few other dresses. Irina will help you through it."

I felt really really dizzy. I hadn't even gotten a chance to practice my smile. Fuck.

I let out a small whimper and ran a hand through my hair. Carmen peered at me worridly.

"You alright?"

"Uhh...no, to be honest. I'm just...really nervous and excited and so unprepared." I fussed.

"Just relax, it'll be ok. Think of it as speed dating. And after the taping, which should end around 4:30, it'll be over. Then, you just have a spa appointment scheduled after lunch. Isn't that nice?" she comforted me, thinking that I was nervous about meeting the guys. Well, I was, but more about the photos. Ever since Mike and I broke up, I'd become a very self-conscious person.

"Noon? That's fine, but I thought the show only went 2 hours in length, why do we need like 5?" I asked, shaking off the self doubt.

Carmen waved her hand unimportantly, "Oh, it takes a while, but longer to go through makeup every 20 minutes. Plus, half the things taped dont even show up. We cut alot out." she explained.

"Oh. So, what spa will I be going to?" I asked.

She didn't get a chance to reply as Irina burst in and after a quick 'hello' to Carmen, went on to fling the coffee in my hands to the garbage and pull me out of the room.

"Come, Isabella. Kate wants to see you in exactly 24 minutes and we need to get your makeup fixed. Also, try to avoid drinking coffee before the show, it leaves you bloated." she ordered walking out, my wrist in one hand, my dress in the other.

"This dress is nice." she commented offhandedly, fingering the silky material. "Is it French?"

"Err...I think it's Alice's design, or Rose's." I mumbled, blushing at my ignorance towards fashion.

"Hmm, it's very sexy. Well, go on in and take a seat." she said, opening the door to the makeup room. It was large, spacious, but buzzing with activity. Several people were in there, carrying ties, contact solutions, and carts outside. There were 6 sleek leather chairs lined up along the wall, facing their individual mirrors. I plopped down in the first one and Irina went to work on my hair.

"Please tell me its not wet." she pleaded.

"No, although maybe a bit damp. But its really curly." I replied.

Irina waved me off and she pulled the clip out of my head, picking out the bobby pins as well.

"Nonsense, Isabella. Your hair looks beautiful. I think a little spray will help. Oh dear we're running out of time...BREE!" she hollered at a young woman in the corner.

"Yes, Irina?" the girl asked. She was quite young, probably an intern.

"Help me with Isabella's hair while I fix her makeup." she ordered. Bree nodded and a moment later, I felt her hands trying to fix my hair. I hissed when she dragged a comb through it, that shit hurt!

"I'm going to do a bit of peach lipgloss, hmmm...I think we can leave the bronzer for now. You don't look as pale as you used to." Irina went on, running stuff over my face.

14 minutes later, I was left alone in the room, everybody else had momentarily scrambled outside to get the men's ties and whatnot fixed.

I stared at myself in the long mirror. I had to admit, I looked really nice. The V-neck of the dress revealed a modest amount of cleavage, and the tight fitting material around the waist made my curves more defined. The heels did wonders to my exposed legs, which, I noted with satistfaction, looking very slender and shaving-cut free. The blue made my skin look rosier and less deathly and thankfully, the skirt of the dress was loose enough that I could move around easily. My wavy hair cascaded down my back, a silver catcher in the back.

"Bella, its time to go." Carmen said, appearing in the doorway with a sense of urgency in her words.

I sighed and followed her down another marbled corridor to an open courtyard area. It was beautiful, not very big, but like a small meadown. There were backdrops, cameras, a few members of the crew and props scattered all over. A short woman with fair blonde hair tied back in a braid was there to greet me.

"Ms. Swan." she said, coming over to shake my hand. "My name's Kate, and I'll be incharge of your photo shoots."

"Hi. It's just Bella, actually."

"Bella." she repeated slowly, as if trying to analyze my name. "It mean's beautiful, right?"

I blushed, "Umm, yea, I think." I replied.

"Hmmm...alright, I can work with that."

I gave her a quizzical look.

"Oh, I'm incharge also of all the slogans, headlining, basically the entire advertisement part of the show. Obviously your name means a big deal for me." she explained.

"Huh, well okay." I said.

Kate nodded and immediately took on a business-like stance. "Bella, I'm going to take a few photo's of you in that dress, then Bree will fetch you for a change of clothing. I'll do a few pictures of you in each outfit, and then you're off. Alright?"

I nodded nervously. But those nerves were dimmed in my mind, a reaction I had to tequila. Tequila! Victoria must have slipped some in my coffee. Thank God for that woman.

Kate smiled and motioned for me to follow her.

"With you in that dress, I'm aiming for a natural beauty type of look. I think we'll do a few right here." she said, stopping at the fountain.

"Turn it on!" she hollered to a young man in the back.

A moment later, the stone fountain sprinkled out water, and the bottom bowl was immediately filled with bubbles.

"Alright, now, stand here, place one foot behind the other, and place your right arm on the edge of the fountain." Kate directed. "Good, now, bend your left knee a little bit...that's good. Dont hang your left arm limply, put it on your hip. Keep the fingers together. Perfect."

I felt stiff, like one of those ragdolls. Nothing seemed comfortable right now, even the tag at the back of my dress was itching.

"Bella, relax. You look pained." Kate ordered, positioning the camera.

I rearranged my face and let a small smile come on my lips.

"Take a few deep breaths, and loosen up." Kate kept saying.

"Ok, ok." I grumbled, breathing in and out deeply.

"Good. Now, look off into space, and 3...2...1."

There was the sound of the camera shutters clicking several times.

"Perfect, now, look at me."

Another round of clicks.

"Make your smile coy."

I smirked, which felt oddly out of character.

More clicks.

"Okay, Bella, I think we're done in this dress. Go change back in the room. Bree will escort you. I need you out back here in 10." Kate commanded, heading over to the large computer resting on the cart next to the cameras.

I nodded and moseyed on over to Bree, who was standing quietly by the French doors.

"This way." she said quietly, her soft voice barely above a whisper. It contrasted with her looks, which were sharp, defined, and too...robotic? Her dark brown hair was styled in a defined bob, framing her narrow face. She had angular features, a pointed nose, thin lips, and penciled eyebrows. Not to mention the horrendous eyebags resting underneath her black eyes. All in all, the girl looked too anorexic, too tired, and too Goddamn depressed.

I smiled and followed her back to the changing room. Irina was standing there, jabbering away on her bluetooth, and her eyes flashed dangerously when she saw us.

"...keep me abreast of the progress." she snapped, walking over to me. "Bella! What have you DONE to your lipstick! Please tell me your lips didn't look that chapped during the shoot!" she all but screamed, her perfectly proportioned chest heaving.

"Er...sorry, I didn't do anything." I muttered, blushing.

She huffed and yanked me on to the salon chairs, muttering about 'conflicting habits'. She proceeded to wipe off all my makeup and redo it in a totally hot, sexy look, complete with smoky eyes and sharp red lipstick.

"Dont bit your lip anymore." she snapped at me. I automatically released the bottom lip I unconsciously had inbetween my teeth. It was what I did when I was nervous.

"Good, now, go change into that red dress that's hanging in the bathroom and come back outside." she ordered. I complied and stumbled over to the large marbled bathroom and unzipped my dress. The silk material pooled at my feet. I kicked off the heels and then took the red dress out from its garment bag.

It was a little too sexy for my liking, but I guess that was the point. I slipped into it with difficulty and stared at myself in the mirror.

The dress was strapless, the top part silky and tight, given the built in corset that gave me amazing cleavage. The neckline was straight cut, but very very low. The skirt was made out of light layers of satin, silk, and net and ended right below my knees, giving it a princessy look. I noticed the beading at the waistline and realized that they were tiny diamonds discreetly sewn in, giving off a glittering effect.

I padded back outside, and Irina smiled as she appraised me.

"Amazing, Bella. You look stunning. Now let's do that hair of yours, shall we?" she said, pushing me back into the chair. Her trained hands lifted my locks and shaped them into a high bun, swirling and twisting the hair. She then pulled out a section from the front and straightened it to perfection, then proceeded to angle it across my face so that it framed the left side. To finish, Irina added a tiny red bow at the base of the bun and secured it on.

Lastly, she placed a simple beaded choker around my neck, and loosened it so that the heart-shaped locked dangled provacatively, if that was even possible.

"Perfect." she smiled, and then after shoving a pair of satin d'Orsay pumps on me, called Bree to usher me outside.

Kate complimented me and then led me to one of the backdrops. It was actually silk gold curtains swaying softly in the breeze, and a shiny dark wooden platform on the grass. The location was dark, so none of the sunlight would interfere.

"Now, we're going to do a few shots here, and I need to sit on your knees with your calves peeking out just a bit...Good, now just angle your right foot a little to the left and place your left arm on the floor, palm down...just like that, and hold this bouquet in your right hand which should rest on your lap." she directed, handing me a bouquet of gold roses.

I did as she said and Kate nodded in approval before going back to her camera.

"I need a spotlight!" she hollered to the young man, and then a beam of light was cast on me from God-knows-where.

"Push out your lips a little, Bella, and arch one eyebrow, good. Now smirk for me, please, from the right side of your lips...No, no, that's too big, just subtly. That's better, now hold it." Kate said, clicking her camera.

"Alright, now I'm going to do a few more with you sitting on a chair." she continued, motioning to the man to bring the seat over. He gingerly brought it and set it behind me, before scampering away. I clambered to my feet and followed Kate's instructions to cross my legs and lean forward with my elbows propped on my right knee. My hands were to be curled inwards and my face was set on them.

"Good, now give me a flirty smile and stare at me. No, that's not flirty, that's shy. Give me something sexy and lusty." she rambled. I rearranged my features into what I hoped was 'flirty'.

"That's perfect!" Kate cried, "Dont move an inch."

Click. Click. Click. Click. And then some more clicks.

Finally, she dismissed me back inside and that was how the next 3 hours were spent. I tried on 17 dresses in total, all ranging from casual to elegant to downright sexy. Each one was accompanied with Irina scrubbing the old makeup off me and brushing on new one, and trecherous heels. I was told to sit on grass, stand by the trees, sit on a tree, lay on the ground, dance, and the worst...act like I was horny by placing one hand above my breast and another behind my head. Along with the hooded eyes and parted lips, of course. My facial features spanned as well. Some were demure, sweet, and far away. Others were coy, playful and mischievious, like I knew some secret the rest of the world didn't. And the rest were happy, like heart-breakingly happy, complete with blinding smiles, twinkling eyes and blush from laughing.

When I was changed back into my original dress, the blue one, I was given a few minutes of privacy in my room. I immediately flopped back on the couch and propped my feet up on the table, and greedily attaked my snack. Well, more like a light lunch, consisting of a Meditteranian salmon salad, Italian lemon soda, apple pastry and Gouda cheese. I was moaning in appreciation by the end.

At around 11:30, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." I said, bringing my feet down.

Victoria stepped inside, looking frazzled.

"Hey, Bella." she said, sitting next to me. "Hope you dont mind me stopping by. Harrison is in makeup and I need a break." she groaned.

I smiled comfortingly at her, taking in her flushed state. Her previously perfect hair was stray and messed, and her eyes were smudged from being rubbed so much. I felt for her.

"Nope not at all. I was just taking a breather myself. Thanks for the spike this morning, by the way." I told her.

She laughed, "You looked like you needed it. Are you nervous for the meeting?" she asked.

I shrugged, "I dont really know? I've been speed dating for recreational purposes, but it was purely for Alice's support. Carmen said it would pretty much be like that, so it shouldn't really worry me, right?" I replied uncertainly.

Victoria patted my hand, "Right. I personally found the first meeting alot easier than I had thought. I just talked to him, ya know, and soon, our 10 minutes were up. The men will do most of the talking, so you dont really have to worry. I've told other girls this too, to keep a little checklist in your mind of who you definately dont like. It'll make the eliminations much faster." she advised.

I thanked her and we chatted idly for a while. She told me about her family, and her old friends back home, as well as her her boyfriend, Brandon. They had started dating a week ago, and she actually had a good feeling about him.

Soon, there was another knock, and Carmen entered.

"Ladies." she greeted, "I believe it's time to go. Vicky, Chris is at the set, you should probably run."

Victoria jumped up and after quickly fixing her appearance, squeaked out a goodbye and ran out. Carmen and I chuckled and then I got up.

"Bella, let's go." she said, leading me to the set. "I trust that you watched the tapes?"

I nodded, "Just the beginning parts, but I have a good idea of what I have to do." I said.

"I hope so. Chris will give you a few pointers as well, but just be yourself with some alluringness and mysteriousness thrown in. Dont reveal too much, and it'll be hard to remember all the faces, but try, ok?" she told me.

"Alright. Thanks." I said as we stopped at the set doors. I heard commotion and bustling inside, and my heart pounded in anticipation.

"Ready?" Carmen asked.

I counted to 10 in my head and went to my 'happy place', for Alice said it was great for nerves. In my mind, I saw Rose, Ally, and me all lounging at a party, cuddled up with out boyfriends, content, happy smiles on our faces. Except the man that held me was a faceless stranger.

Who was somewhere beyond those doors.

Waiting.

For me.

"Let's do this." I smiled to Carmen.

And she opened the door.

_**So a wee bit of a cliffy, but this chapter would have been waaaaay too long if I included the bachelors. Oh, and Angela will reappear, she plays an important role in the story. Thanks again to my beta, writingunderatree! Next update should be before the end of August. Review please!**_


	4. First Sights

**_Heyyy, lovely readers! Sorry this took a while, I just stepped back onto US soil recently. It's so damn boiling here! Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. I had a hard time writing it, because I just didn't know how to incorporate all the details of the men in it. Hope you're satistfied with what you need, and please review and give me some feedback! Also, check out of profile for updates regarding all my stories. Thanks once again to my amazing beta, writingunderatree, for battling this chapter!_**

_**Disclaimer: All Twlight related characters, plot lines, etc belong to Stephanie Meyer, everything else is Ema2010's. Dont steal it.**_

"Ms. Swan, welcome to The Peninsula Spa. My name is Claire and I will be your host today." the Native American woman greeted me. I gave her a weary smile and stifled a yawn. The jasmine and citrusy scents in the room made me feel very drowsy.

"Please, call me Bella." I smiled, shaking her hand. It was soft and powdery.

"Bella." she nodded, "Now, you were set up for a De-Stress Retreat package, is that correct?" she asked.

I vaguely remember Carmen telling me something like that after I had came out of the shower.

"Yes." I replied.

"Good, now this will take 3 hours, and will include a purifying full-body exfoliation, a Tension Relief massage, and an intensive facial. You will also be able to enjoy a healthy lunch at the end, along with a manicure and pedicure." Claire said.

Holy crow, this was so different than the spa I usually went to. There, I just got a massage, manicure and a snack.

"Sounds good." I said.

"Alright, now let's get you all set up, shall we?" she said, leading me through the dimly lit hallway into a private room. It was dark, with deep blue textured walls, plush carpet, and scattered lamps that let out minimal light. The air was thick with blossom and freesias, candles flickered everywhere, and instrumental Italian music played softly.

"Wow." I breathed out.

Claire smiled, "Bella, I'll step out for a moment and I'll need you to change into the disposable panties and bra on the table. You can leave your clothes in the bathroom." she said, walking out.

I made my way to bathroom, grabbing the white undergarments off the wooden table on my way. I stripped from all my clothes and put those on, and then wrapped the plush robe around me before heading back outside. Claire was waiting for me patiently next to the bench.

"Now, I need you to lie face down on the mattress. I'm going to exfoliate your skin using a salt and oil scrub. While that sits I will also lightly massage you." she said.

I placed my robe on the chair next to me and hopped up on the bench. Claire began to work on my back, using a brush to remove dead skin cells. She proceeded down to my legs then back up to my arms. Then, she applied a serum to my body, massaging it as she went. I groaned when her firm hands rubbed my shoulders, it felt so good.

A good hour later, she helped me up and led me to bathroom, where I was to wash up.

I stepped under the spray of water, and put the cap on so my hair didn't get wet. As the warmth hit my body, I let myself dwell on what happened earlier today.

Carmen was right, for the most part. I felt at ease during the taping. Most of the time, I didn't even know that the cameras were there. I had walked inside, and was taken aback by all the loud activity happening. All around me, men in crisp slacks, dress shirts, pressed suits, and funky ties were talking. Crew members were bustling around and I breathed a sigh of relief when I spotted Chris. He had given me a little pep-talk and instructions on how to enter, and all the stuff I had to do during the taping. Then, he led me up the makeshift stairs in the middle of the room and told me to wait for 'the signal'. I watched as he made his way down and began reciting his well-practiced script towards the camera. I spent that time trying to control my breathing and drumming my fingers on the rail.

Finally, a camera man had waved me forward and I slowly walked down, aware of the 25 pairs of eyes and 3 cameras focused on me. I smiled lightly and introduced myself to the cluster of men standing before me.

The rest was a blur; I didn't even remember most of it. I chatted for a while with the men, learning names, drinking bubbling champagne, and laughing at lame jokes. Then, the mini-dates (as I had so dubbed them), began. They took place in the courtyard, which had been totally redone. Twinkling lights were set up everywhere, and the backdrops and extra cameras were gone. A low couch was in the center surrounded by flowers. I also noticed that the glass ceiling had been turned opaque, so that it seemed like 9pm instead of noon. Romantic much?

The first contestant was with Eric Yorkie, and I immediately disliked him. He was geeky, unhygienic, and admitted to dumping his 2-year girl friend because she sweated when they were out jogging.

Tyler Crowley was really cocky, but he seemed to have a gentlemanly side to him. I noticed that when he offered me his jacket because it was getting slightly chilly.

I liked Seth Clearwater. He was one of the sweetest, and friendliest of them all. I loved his shy smile and signature bear hugs. If I had a younger brother, I'd want him to be exactly like Seth.

Next was Quil Attera, who was a bit too flirty for my liking. I didn't really like him, but he was very insecure and I didn't want to damage his ego much more.

Embry Call was a shy one, but I adored him because of his love for his family. Not many people would love their parents so much if both were disabled and had Alzheimer's.

I hate Paul Rameriz-he was horrible, bad-temper and had a mocking voice. He got overly defensive when I asked him why he cheated on his girlfriend with a 16-year old. Gross.

I thought Laurant Johnson was awesome with a capital A. Rosalie and he would be amazing in the fashion world. He was straight from France, and like me, he loved adventure.

James Holloway…hmm. I liked him, I'd be stupid not to. He was cool, calm, collected, and not overly flirty. He shared most of my interests, but I just got some strange feelings around him. I'd have to be cautious.

I thought Marshall Keats was a manly drama queen. I spent half my time with him laughing at his stupid, yet funny jokes. I loved his sarcastic wits and dramatic nature.

Jacob Black was just…perfect. There was no other word. I liked him more than James, but not exactly in a romantic way. He was warm, kind, funny, sweet, and sexy in all the right ways. I learned about his time in La Push, his family, and his passion for working with cars. During his little speech on the different types of engines, I found myself getting lost in his twinkling black eyes and sunny smile. If I did end up eliminating him some day, I still wanted him to stay my friend.

After him was Riley Halter, who was exactly what I expected him to be-scholarly, but with a certain charm that didn't classify him as a geek.

Stephan and Vladimir, who I met together, were practically twins. It was strange how they weren't brothers, or even distinctly related. They were both mysterious, but in a good way, and incredibly charming. They didn't give much away about themselves, but asked intelligent questions about my life instead.

Then came Felix, whose size reminded me of Emmett. Actually, he seemed exactly like Emmett, with a loud, mischievous personality, and a friendly and cool nature.

Demetri Williams was another one who I liked. He was highly intelligent, and had travelled almost the entire world. I cried when he mentioned his trip to Africa and his attempts to save a dying child. His sexy Italian features were a bonus.

I didn't like Collin Hampo much. He was sweating bullets while I talked to him, and kept flexing his hands, a nervous habit, I supposed. He was also too un-ambitious-not wanting to do anything major in life.

Brady Jackson was another one who I didn't want, but took pity and decided to keep him for a while. There was nothing wrong, I just found him so dull and so routinely that it was freaky. He hated doing anything even a minute off schedule.

Jared Brown was like Eric, save the immoral values. He was gross and kept wiping his nose on his sleeve. Just…ugh, disgusting.

I found Liam Cox to be interesting. He was sweet and kind, but seemed over-obsessed with government practices.

I absolutely adored Benjamin Lanson. He was just like Alice, with his bubbly, and optimistic character. He also seemed to have unlimited energy, and told me he was banned from drinking coffee at work because of it.

Eleazer Santos reminded me of Carmen. He was warm, kind, sweet, but a tad bit too fatherly. Hard to believe he was only 27.

I found Royce King to be a typical rich, frat boy. He was like a vain cheerleader, over-obsessed with looks, extremely pompous, and plain rude to other men.

Then came Alec Evans, who was a perfect gentlemen. He seemed a little cold, but he talked about his sister, Jane, so fondly that I figured he was sweet inside.

Sam Uley was another one was I unsure about. He was overall nice and interesting, but was a straight out workoholic. I found out that he worked from 5am to 10pm every day of the week.

And lastly was Edward Cullen. To say he was intriguing was an understatement. I found everything about him captivating, due to his quiet and reserved nature. He was polite, but too formal and not too friendly. He was the only one who thought of this taping like I did…a blind date. I did happen to find out that he was traumatized by being in foster care, and it took years for him to warm up to Carlisle and Esme, who he claimed were the 'most kindest, patient and loving parents a person could ask for'. He was also downright sexy, given that my underwear flooded at the sight of him. He was more handsome than James, Jacob, AND Demetri combined. He had a perfectly chiseled face, with high cheekbones, emerald green eyes, and scrumptious looking pink lips that I just wanted to kiss. I also wanted to lick his angular jaw that had a slight stubble growing on it. All while running my hands through his thick, fuck-me hair that was a vibrating shade of bronze with red, golden, and brown highlights...

Snapping out of my straying thoughts, I turned the water temperature down to freezing cold to cool down my flushed body. Then, I hurriedly stepped out of the shower, dried off, and dressed back into my undergarments and robe, before coming outside.

Claire was setting a few things up on a low table when I emerged.

"Ah, Bella, I trust you found that shower relaxing?" she asked kindly.

I nodded, feeling incredibly refreshed. "It was great."

"Good, now we're going to do your massage. Lie back down on the bed face-down." she instructed. I did so, slipping my robe off in the process.

"Right, now I'm going apply medium-hard pressure to really pull out those knots, and relieve tension from your back, shoulders, neck, and legs. If you want me to go lower, just let me know. I'll also apply some cream, oils, and lotion to remove water retention as well as leave your skin moisturized. Sound good?"

I nodded again, and she began. Her hands massaged my body, rubbing the honey-scented oil into my muscles. I felt all the tension of the past few days leave my body and I felt like a light bubble. Claire also applied some cool cream onto my legs and arms which she said would make my legs look shiner and remove shaving bumps. Her fingers then prodded at my feet and she massaged lotion into them as well. The whole thing took a good hour, and at several points, I had dozed off.

"Feeling good?" questioned Claire as she helped me up. I gave her a relaxed smile and she laughed lightly.

After the massage came the facial, which was very soothing, to say the least. The minty mask was left on my face for a while as several ladies worked on my hands and feet.

During that time, I drifted back to earlier today, at the First Rose Ceremony. I had 20 roses to give out, and I was thankful that I had a list of names to be eliminated written on the palm of my hand.

Obviously I let go of Eric, and I felt my skin crawl as he hugged me goodbye. Paul was another unlucky one, although he didn't go quietly. I was pretty sure that when the episode aired, all that could be heard out of his mouth would be 'beeeeep, beep, beeep, beeeeeeeeeeep!' Collin cried a teeny bit when he left, and Jared left like Paul, except he had the courtesy to tell me good luck. Actually it went more like "I hope you find the right fucker, Bella." I had to stop myself from laughing when Royce found out he didn't get a rose. The smirk was wiped off his face, replaced by a shocked, "OMG!" expression. He left dramatically, stomping his foot and muttering angrily to himself the whole time. We finished up by toasting to good times, and drained our champagne. Then, after hugging each guy and kissing a few on the cheek, the director said the much awaited _"aaand…cut!"_

I had breathed a sigh of relief, and was quickly ushered out of the room to my own. Carmen had handed me a bottle of water, and I chugged the whole thing down, and then washed my face clean. Chris came in, ready to take me to have an interview, but took pity on my tired state and let me go for the day. Instead, I had to come in the studio tomorrow for the interview and a few more things.

"Do you want pale pink or sea-foam green?" asked one of the manicurists, pulling me away from my reflections.

"Huh?"

She looked at me impatiently. "Your nail color…pale pink, or sea-foam green?" she repeated.

"Oh, sorry. Umm…pale pink." I answered, blushing.

She nodded and proceeded to paint my nails. I sighed and kept my mind attentive from then on. I spent the next 60 minutes counting the amount of times polish-brush was dipped into the bottle. 83 times.

Finally, the mask was scrubbed off, leaving my skin glowing like a pregnant woman's, and my finger and toenails were a shiny baby pink color with swirly designs on them in white.

Claire brought over a lunch cart and I ravenously ate the whole thing, chatting mindlessly with her while. It was very good, consisting of Cavatelli pasta, lobster cobb salad, Miso marinated black cod, raspberry white chocolate mousse and a glass of Pinot Grigio. I was never one for fancy dining, despite my generous income, but I made a vow to indulge in expensive wine once in a while from now on. The crisp, cool liquid was drained from the glass quickly.

When I finished with lunch and dressing, Claire handed me a basket full of gift products and certificates for my personal use and led me to the lobby. The limo was waiting outside, and entered it, placing the basket next to me. Reaching for my purse, I fumbled through it to find my Blackberry.

Shit, 3 unanswered emails. All from…work? I opened the system up and read the earliest one, sent at midnight.

It was from Marcus:

_Bella,_  
_Trust your trip is well; we're all missing you back here._  
_I have that list of yours; think you can get it back by tonight?_  
_Just let me know the ones we don't need._  
_**Request List: May  
The Lost Symbol-Dan Brown**_  
_**Everything and a Kite-Ray Romano**_  
_**Little Secrets Series-Emily Blake**_  
_**The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest-Stieg Larsson**_  
_**The Help-Kathryn Stockett**_  
_**The Big Short-Micheal Lewis**_  
_**Under the Dome-Stephan King**_  
_**Little Bee-Chris Cleave**_  
_**One Day-David Nicholls**_  
_**Eat, Pray, Love-Elizabeth Gilbert**_  
_That's all for now. I'm sure more will pop in soon._

_Best Regards,_  
_Marcus Volturi_  
_Vorturi Books_

I sighed and hit reply…

_Hi Marcus,  
__Trip's fine, thanks for asking. Sorry I'm replying so late, I was under when you sent this. I think everything's fine to order except the Little Secrets. Those are pure chick flicks with a touch of angst. We don't carry those…period. Let me know if anything else comes up._

_Bella_

_PS. Place a large order on Eat, Pray, Love. It's a big hit._

I sent that, then moved on to the next, this time, from Aro.

_Dearest Isabella,  
__I hope you are finding your time in New York comforting with a dash of blossoming romance. Glad to know someone out there will steal your heart.  
__If you have a spare moment, please give me call on my cell number. We have an interesting opportunity for a merger coming up, and I'd love to discuss it with you. Very beneficial, I think…  
__I'd also like to ask that you be present via. Phone for an upcoming staff meeting. I'll send you the timing shortly._

_Enjoy, darling!  
__Aro Vorturi  
__Volturi Books_

I laughed at his typical formal/romantic tone, and replied.

_Greetings Aro,_  
_NYC is interesting, to say the least. Romance…not so much. You know me, Aro, my tastes run exquisite._  
_I'll do so right now, although I don't know why we would even need to merge. VB is fine the way it is._  
_I'll be there, wouldn't miss it._

_Bella_

Sending that, I opened up the last one, from Chelsea.

_Hey Bells!  
__Haven't talked in the longest time with you!  
__How are you? Get any yet? *wink*  
__Damn, I envy you. While Hiedi and I slave away, you're in the company of HOT, SEXY, DELICIOUS men.  
__Who's the best in bed? LOL.  
__We need to chat soon, as in, ASAP. So much is going on. Did you hear about that one German company that Cauis is pretty eager to merge with?  
__Missing you,  
__Chel_

I blushed at the innuendos in her email, and replied.

_Hey Chelsea,  
__It's only been a week. I hope Heidi's keeping you and your credit cards in check. FYI, I'm not planning on having sex any time soon, although some of them make me so…horny. God, I cant believe I just wrote that. Delicious they are…  
__IDK when I'll have time, I'm getting my official schedule tomorrow, so I'll let you know.  
__Tell Heidi I said hello too._

_Love ya!  
__Bella_

I sent it with a smile, missing my friends, and realized that the car had stopped. I quickly got out and went up to my room, grabbing a banana from the dining area on the way. I flopped on my bed and proceeded to call Aro.

He picked up on the first ring, as usual.

"Isabella?" the feathery voice answered.

"Hi Aro, what's up?"

"Isabella! How are you, dear?" he crooned.

"Quite peachy, actually. You?"

"Fine, fine. Well, I was actually getting ready to call you right now."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Schatten and Co. is offering a good deal." he said.

"Hmm…never heard of them. What's their specialty?"

"Books, dear. More of classic European literature as well as biographies. I doubt you'd find a single modern romance there."

"Well, what are they offering?"

"Basically they want to combine, make Volturi Books a branch off of them. We get a hefty amount of money, about 9 zeros. In result, about 30% of our earnings would go to them, but we'd also get more stores, advertisement, and customers. We're talking international recognition."

The deal sounded good, but it could be better.

"Why a branch? Why not a full, 50/50 merge?"

"A full one would mean the names would be changed, staff would be sorted out, not to mention confusion. I don't like the thought of that. My brothers and I get along in ownership strictly because we're brothers. I shudder to have to share this with outsiders. Also, much of our books would be transferred to their stores."

"You don't seem too eager." I commented dryly.

"No, Isabella, I'm not. Cauis thinks otherwise, and I consulted with Marcus, he's willing to consider it. Heidi and Chelsea have mixed opinions, but are willing to give it a try." he sighed.

"I don't like it. We've built up a good reputation. What's the history on this place? I've never heard of it before now, is it any good? It could taint us if we associate ourselves with them, especially if they are unpopular." I warned.

"I know, darling. I have a meeting with Otto, the owner, Friday evening. He should sort some finer details out. How about I email all the fine points to you? We can discuss this at the staff meeting, which by the way, is tomorrow at 7pm." he said.

"That works. Let me know of anything else." I said.

"Good! Well, I'll let you be now, Isabella. You must be tired."

"Kind of. I'm just going to relax for the rest of today."

"Until next time, goodbye darling." he sighed dramatically. I could imagine him rolling his eyes and swiping his forehead like he always did.

"Bye Aro!" I giggled, ending the call.

So now I had another situation on my hands…this fishy merging crap. Oh well, I'd think about it later. I had enough on my plate right now. Glancing at the clock, my eyes widened when I realized that it was already 8. Where had time gone? I must have taken longer at the spa than I thought.

I had nothing to do for the rest of the day, but after several attempts to watch lame soap operas, I decided to explore the city. I changed into typical-Bella clothing: long black yoga pants, a navy tank-top, and a dark red jacket. I pulled my hair into a pony tail, slipped on my red sneakers, plugged my earbuds into my ears, and went outside.

About an hour later, I was sitting on a bench at Tompkins Square Park, eating a falafel. It was pretty dark now, the sun almost set, but the area was still filled with people. I watched them pass, busy with their own lives. Most were dressed impeccably in elegant clothing, with a phone in their hands or attached to their ear. No one stopped to smile at the little girl clapping her hands next to her mother, or the old man who was chatting with his daughter in Army fatigues. It saddened my heart. Times like these really made me miss living with Charlie in Forks. It was a small place, but I loved the friendliness that came with it. Everyone knew everyone, and even strangers felt at ease.

"Bella?" a husky voice called from behind me. I whirled around, and saw Jacob standing there looking…scrumptious. _Since when do you describe men like you described food, Bella?_ My subconscious snapped at me. I didn't like her sometimes.

"Jacob! Hi, what are you doing here?" I smiled, standing up.

He shrugged, "Needed a walk. You?"

"Same thing."

We stood grinning like idiots at each other for a moment.

"So, have you checked out this amazing ice-cream place a few blocks away?" Jacob finally asked.

"No, is it good?"

He looked at me like I was crazy, "Duh! They have the BEST gelato there! Wanna see?" he said eagerly.

I laughed at his enthusiasm, but shook my head. "Sorry, Jacob. Maybe later in the week…I just need a break right now, ya know what I mean?"

Thankfully, he didn't look crestfallen, the grin stayed intact. "No problem, but you have to go there sometimes. I just had this amazing mango-lemon flavor, and I swear, you'll never find one like it." he promised.

"Sure, Jacob. Just ask me some other time, ok?"

"'Course. Well, I'll see you around, Bella. Night." he said.

"You too. See ya."

He patted me on the shoulder and walked off, pulling out his iPod while doing so. I ogled his ass as he walked and then quickly went back to the hotel before I went spontaneously combust.

I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed then. My phone had a new missed call and I quickly replied to it before I dozed off for the night.

"Bella!" trilled Alice's perky voice from the speaker.

"Hi, Alli, what's up?" I yawned.

"Oh not much. I just wanted to let you know that Rose and I are sending you some new dresses to wear. You absolutely have to make sure you wear those; they're the signature pieces of the season. Pretty please?" she begged. I could picture her pouting right now.

"Sure, sure. Are they business-y?"

"Some, I guess. Why?"

"Oh, I made a new friend. Her name's Victoria and I definitely think you should meet her. I figured she'd love to wear some of them." I said.

"That's fine. As long as people see it. Anyways, how are you?"

"Fine, I guess. I met the men today." I offered, mentally bracing myself for her reaction.

"Really!" she squealed excitedly. "Oh my gosh, wait until I tell Rose! You better call me tomorrow, and give us all the dirty details!" she whispered deviously.

I groaned, not wanting to face the Brandon-Hale Inquisition. But, I knew it was inevitable.

"Alright, maybe around this time, though. I'll talk to you later, Ali." I agreed.

"Wow, Bella Swan agreeing to sharing her secrets? This_ is _new." she laughed.

"Very funny. Now, I think I'm going to head to bed, it's a different time schedule here in case you forgot. Wait, where are you right now?"

"Oh, I'm at the airport. I'm meeting Rose in Denali, Alaska later. We have a new store to check up on." she said. I burst with pride at their accomplishments like a proud mother.

"That's great, Alice. Hope it goes well. Tell everyone I said hi."

"Will do. Bye Bells, love ya." she chimed happily.

"You too." I said. I just knew she could hear the smile in voice.

Thankfully, she hung up then, and I didn't have to play her usual game of 'let's see who hangs up first'.

I shut off my phone and got comfy under the covers. Soon, I was letting my mind wander again back to this morning.

But this was different, because this time, my thoughts went straight to Edward Cullen.

And that was the first night I dreamt of him.

**_Soo...what did you think? Kind of crappy? Alright? Good? Any suggestions/comments given are appreciated much! Tell me what you think of this new merging opportunity...a bit of foreshadowing there ::wink::. _**

**_Oh, and I would like to take a moment to address some PM's that I have gotten:  
1) Unfortunately, there will be no lemons. Maybe a couple pieces of limes, and smut, but no dirty details...This isn't to say there wont be any sex, it just wont be described. I'm just not good at writing that kind of stuff, but maybe in the future there will be some outtakes, who knows?  
2) Yes, I have changed the rules around to the show. I need it to fit my timeline that I have made for the characters.  
3) This story will end well after the show does, I think I will stop it at the honeymoon.  
4) Yes, I do throw in alot of foreshadowing details in the chapters. I hardly write anything that never has a purpose, even the little texts and phone calls and emails. It's all part of a plan...  
5) Will Mike come into play? Not physically. But they will "chat" with eachother once in a while via phone, and Mike will be in Bella's low-self-esteemed thoughts alot.  
6) Finally, no, this isn't a pure fluff story. I cant really write those that well. DoR may start off all happy-go-lucky, but pretty soon, things are going to get serious, and there will be ALOT of drama along with some angst. Characters will cry...alot. But I believe in HEA's so dont worry, it'll all work out._**

**_Hope that satistfies everyone. Next chapter should be out...hmm...idk, keep tabs of the profile page. I update it once a week. Probably September, though. _****_Review please! Thanks._**


	5. Testosterone UPDATED!

_**Hey everyone! REAAAALLLLY SORRRY from the deep deep bottom of my heart that this took so long. I'd seriously give ya'll a list of totally legit excuses, but meh...that's what my profile's for, right? Main thing is, planning a wedding is fucking hard. Has anyone tried it? Okay, yea, so go ahead and read! Oh and review! **_

I fell back on the soft couch with a sigh, remote in one hand, a diet Coke in the other. I kicked off my shoes and groaned in appreciation as my toes stretched. I pressed the play button on the remote, and watched myself appear on the screen. It was a shoot of me along a makeshift beach, staring out into the computer-generated sunset, wearing a pale blue maxi. Chris's voice filtered in, and I registered the words 'Beautiful Bella', 'tough competition' and 'whirlwind of a week'. What a week it was.

I was almost finished with my second week on the show, with only one more group date and the Rose Ceremony left. I'd spent a good part of the last three days scoffing at the immature, testosterone-fuelled jealousy and rivalry from the men, instead of really getting to know them. It was ridiculous, really, how they could fight for hours over how tall I was, instead of talking to me.

So here I was, watching the one-hour tape of the week so far, and incredibly nervous of how I looked on camera. During the actual dates, I was able to forget about the fact that I was on national television, but my nerves sometimes got the best of me during the interviews.

I winced when I saw my interview about Mike appear on the screen, and fast-forwarded it before I could gag at my red eyes and sniffling face. I looked pathetic.

On Monday, I went on my first group date with Tyler, Seth, Quil, Embry, and Laurant. We went sailing on the Manhatten Luxury Yacht and cruised around in the Harbor. It was beautiful, being surrounded by water and waves, the sky a bright blue, the gentle breeze and the warm sun. I ended up with an amazing tan which made me actually appreciate the skimpy, torquiose blue bikini that had little yellow flowers decorating the most suggestive of spots. I had practically begged Irina to wear a dress, but she only allowed me to do so during the interview and in the car. _Bitch._

I was very impressed with Tyler's ability to sail a boat, and found out that he had lived on a boat for 3 years with his parents. We actually had a decent conversation together for a while, until he make a childish innuendo about 'sailing my boat'. Cue the eye roll, condescending smile, and exit, please.

Over lunch, I had gotten to know more about Embry. We talked about our families, and I learned that he had 4 younger sisters whom he loved dearly. I felt tears prickle my eyes when he told me how he saved his youngest sister, Emily, from a fire a year ago. I gave him a friendly peck on the lips and then shifted the conversation to lighter topics.

I honestly felt really bad for Quil. He took his flirting up a notch, but it wasn't smooth and suave. It was more like those cheesy pick up lines from movies that were practiced in front a mirror so much, that they looked scripted. I could tell he was really insecure about himself, because of his slight lisp. Still, the guy was hilarious, but not in the way he thought he was. I saw myself biting my lip from laughter when he said "if I could rearrange the letters of the alphabet, I'd put U and I together." I then later ended up choking on my margarita when he sidled up next to me and asked me if it hurt when I fell from heaven.

I went swimming in the water with Laurant, who taught me how to strike a pose underwater. He reminded me more and more of Alice, especially when he screamed dramatically because I told him I never dyed my hair. I laughed when I saw myself asking him if he was gay, jokingly of course. Then, I laughed even harder when he had replied that in college, he thought he was too. But he had gone on one date with a man, and realized that he was abosolutely straight. He ended up asking me more about Alice and Rose than myself, and after the show, I'd privately given him Alice's number, before reminding him that she was engaged.

Seth was the brother I never had. Personally, I felt that he thought of my the same way, as his sister, not potential-wife. Throughout the date, he had made no move to kiss me, flirt with me, on or off camera. We kept our conversations enjoyable, just learning more about eachother. It was a comfortable relationship.

It was obvious from the first date that Quil and I would never be together. Ever. There was nothing wrong with him really, he was just so...desperate. I paused the tape and scribbled his name down on to my list titled _'Eliminate Them ASAP!_'. Next to his name, I started writing a few things I could say to not hurt his ego too much.

_Quil, I really think you're a great guy. _

Isn't that how all break up lines start?

_I really enjoy your company, and I think you're funny and really sweet. _

Lie! More like really boring and dull.

_But...I just don't think we would be able to go anywhere with our relationship. I mean, you want to lead a quiet life, and that's just not me. I like adventure and thrill...and you don't._

Well, atleast that was the truth.

_I really hope you find your special girl someday, okay?_

Good luck with that, bud.

I pressed the fast forward button and skipped the guys' snippets of interview and moved to Tuesday. Flashes of the Children of the World Festival, located on 6th Avenue, sifted through. My second group, Stephan, Vladimir, Felix, Demetri and Brady, and I had went there to "open the public eye about the cultural aspect of ABC", as Chris had put it. It was fun, I had to admit, with over 500 stalls filled with different foods, arts, antiques and clothing. Alice and Rose would have been so jealous, and I sent them a little shout out on air.

Demetri was a learned person. He was probably the only one as interested as I in the historical aspect of the fair. I liked him the most within the group. We spent a lots of time just exchanging information of our travels and commenting on the various cultural arts. He was thoughtful and very observant when we gazed at the paintings, or jewelry, or sculpture. It surprised me that he wasn't an art critic, for his opinions were critical yet inspired. The best part was that he had this hot accent that would pop up when he pronounced something in German. But the whole time, he kept his hands to himself. Aside from a few comments like "that native blue necklace makes your skin look gorgeous" and "you look beautiful", Demetri really didn't flirt much.

Felix made me miss my bear of a friend even more. I seriously considered giving him Emmett's number so they could hang out. He too was well educated, for he knew a lot about every culture. But it was masked by his appreication for food, and we spent out time shoving eachother's mouths with sushi, burritos, crème brulee, cherry pie, etc. Of course, the only thing that the cameras 'caught' was when I wiped his face which was smeared with teriyaki sauce. Apparently I looked at him "tenderly and lovingly" in that one, which made no sense to me because I had this irritated look in my eye since there was a spot that wouldn't come off. Oh well, what Chris tells America, America will believe.

Brady was slightly unnerving to be around. I hardly spent any time with him. He was like my alarm, timing exactly how long I was 'allowed' to spend with each guy. The tape showed a particularily heated look pass between me and Stephan, and Brady popping out from no where, informing me that my 45 minutes were up and I had to check me appearance. I had given him an extremely annoyed look and huffed away to makeup.

Speaking of Stephan…damn, I liked the guy. He was so elusive, so mysterious. I didn't know what it was, but some part of his charm captivated me. Or maybe it was just the sexy Russian accent and alluring smile. I hung out with him and Vladimir together, because apparently they had become good friends. We wandered away from the group, and strolled down the Avenue of the Americas around 4:30. I took a bunch of photos with then next to the Empire State Building and ate a "good ol' piece of New York" (Stephan) that would "make a grown man cry" (Vladimir). What they found so interesting about a hot dog was beyond me. They really were like twins, always finishing eachother's sentances and thinking the same thoughts. I had asked them about it, and they replied that it was their just their Russian bond at play.

That day went really smoothly, and I already knew who I would eliminate. I paused the tape and wrote down Brady's name in big CAPITALS. When it came to what I'd say to him, I really wanted to write:

Gee Brady, sorry but you scare the shit out of me with your time-management skills! You need to go marry a clock or a planner. Bye!

But this is what I actually jotted:

_I'm so sorry we couldn't progress in our relationship._

Not really!

_You need to find a woman who is routinely, like you._

Possibly someone in the military?

_I'm more spontaneous and disorderly._

No, I'm normal actually. You're the weird one.

_It's not you, its me._

Pshhh…

_But I hope we can be good friends in the future._

HA! And then, I'd give him a fake phone number.

Once again, I moved past the interviews, not giving a shit what the guys thought about me. I ended up on yesterday's date. To be honest, I didn't remember a thing about it. Like absolutely nothing. I guess the whole bottle of Grey Goose vodka I chugged down had something to do with it. It must have been really horrible if I had to drink in the middle of the day.

Just as I was about to start watching, the shrill ringing on my phone startled me. I leapt off the couch and bounded towards the back table where my purse sat. I pulled out the Blackberry and answered.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Bella, it's Carmen. Where are you?" she demanded.

"Err…in my room. Why? It's only 4. Don't I have to be with Irina at 5?" I asked.

"No no, that was changed. You're supposed to be there right now. I would have came and gotten you but my daughter has a soccer game." she said, "Come down to Room 103. Now."

"Okay, coming." I muttered, hanging up. I scrambled to get my purse and shut off the lights as I left, not even bothering to check myself in the mirror.

Irina clucked her tongue in disapproval when I entered.

"Did you stay up all night?" she spat, "Your eyes look horrible, Bella. You're a very pretty girl, but you certainly are not using it to your advantage. Sit." she ordered. I blushed and sat in the salon chair.

"Sorry," I mumbled, "my mother called last night, and she's quite…talkative."

Irina attacked my face with foundation. "Well, at least you picked out tight clothes today. Hopefully the viewers will focus on your breasts and legs, not your face. she said, swiping mascara over my eyes. I cringed.

In about 15 minutes, my hair was plaited back into a braid that fell down my back, my bangs twisted up into a poof. I had on a casual woven plaid button down with a dipping neck and 3/4 sleeves, it's colors ranging from torquoise to aqua to sky blue. My Gucci jeans were dark washed, tapered and ended a couple inches below my ankles. With them, I paired dark gray Uggs and a waist length gray belted jacket with flappy collars and two rows of black buttons.

Why the chilly look? I wasn't quite sure myself. Carmen had told me to dress for the outdoors yesterday, and since it was reasonably cool tonight, Rose emailed me to wear this outfit.

I sighed in anticipation and waited for Carmen to show up, picking absentmindedly at a stray thread on my sleeve. Suddenly, the door burst open and the tall, cold woman who I severely disliked entered. Angela's face was one of annoyance, and she stared at me with mild disguist.

"You'll do. Come." was all she said before bresquely walking out. I fought my irritation and followed her across the halls to the sets. Chris was waiting for me, as usual.

"Ah, Bella!" he greeted, stepping forward. "Ready for today? You look gorgeous by the way."

"Thank you." I murmured, "Where are we going?"

He winked mischieviously, "Oh a bit of the outdoors. I'm sure you'll like it. Did you see the tapes so far?"

I nodded, "Oh yes, they were very nice." I replied politely. In reality, I felt uncomfortable seeing myself, red eyes, heated looks, hardly dressed, etc. It was unnerving.

"Good! Well, let's get this started. Okay, we're going to start by the fireplace, standing up. I'll introduce a bit of the show, and we'll make our way out the back doors. Your dates, James, Marshall, Jacob, Edward, and Riley, will be waiting. I'm pretty sure you can handle the rest." he explained.

"And lines?" I asked. The past couple of days, I'd been given a paragraph or so of script to memorize and say. One was for promoting cultural synergy, another for Covergirl makeup.

He shook his head, "Not today. You ready?"

"Yeah."

So then I stood in front of the massive mantle, the blazing fire behind me crackling, with Chris adjusting his microphone.

"We're on 30 seconds." the camera man said. I morphed my face into the smooth, practiced smile and angled my body so that my butt was on display. Irina told me that it attracted viewers. I think she meant peverted men.

"…5. 4. 3. 2. 1…action."

"Welcome back to The Bachelorette with Bella Swan! I'm your host, Chris Harrison. Now, last episode, we watched Bella interact with 15 men on various locations. Bella, tell us about any brewing chemisty that might be occuring." Chris said, turning to me.

I switched my personal feelings off, and turned my publicity dialouge on. I was supposed to "coyly evade the question, but leave behind lingering suspicions" as Kate put it.

"Well, Chris, I can honestly say that I've been having a great time so far. Several boys have caught my eye, but we'll just have to wait and see, wont we?" I replied, smiling brightly.

"Any in particular? We all saw you and Laurant have some fun times in the water." he said.

"Laurant is a very fun person to be around, and I look forward to getting to know him better." I said.

"Okay, well we'll be watching. So let's get started on your next date." he grinned, turning back towards the camera, "This evening, Bella and her five dates will be taking a hike on Outdoor Bound Adventures. They specialize in all types of hiking expeditions for every interest, including wildlife, bird watching, mountain trails, camping, and our favorite, Midnight Hikes." he said. I internally groaned, as it was already hard enough for me to walk across a flat surface without tripping. Now I had to walk on a rugged trail with leaves and roots and bugs? I supressed a shudder.

"Ready to go, Bella?" he asked.

I nodded, "Very."

"Great. We'll be right back after this." Chris said, flashing a smile at the camera.

"And…cut!" the cameraman said. I relaxed my straight posture and waited as Chris had his makeup redone.

"Let's get outside." he said after a moment, and we went out the back doors to where the other guys were standing.

"Okay, from here on, you'll just be followed around by the camera. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." Chris said quickly, giving me a quick pat on the back before heading back inside.

"Miss Bella Swan?" a voice said. I whipped around to face a man in dark cargo pants and a parka.

"Hi." I smiled.

"I'm Drew Sandusky, I work for Outdoor Bound Adventures, and I'll be your tour guide today." he said, sticking out his hand.

I shook it lightly, "Nice to meet you, Drew."

"Likewise. Now, have you ever been hiking before?"

"I went on a senior camping trip, but besides that, no not really." I admitted.

He chuckled, "That's okay. We'll be climbing Bear Mountain, very generic, more like a tall hill actually. I have to ask if you're allergic to anything?"

"Only bees." I replied.

"Good, then we wont be having any problems. So this is a 5.5 mile hike. It'll take a couple of hours, but we'll make 5 minute rest stops every thirty minutes. Around 11, we'll reach the top, and have a bonfire. Depending on how tired everyone is, we can either take a helicopter back down, or walk." he explained.

"Oh, alright. Cool." I said nervously.

"Right, we'll leave in half an hour. You might want to grab a cup of coffee." he advised. I nodded and he trotted of. I stood uncertainly for a moment, until I felt on my shoulder.

"Jacob!" I smiled, giving him a quick hug. Damn, he looked hot in his black parka and jeans.

"Ready for this?" he asked eagerly.

"Totally pumped." I said sarcastically.

"Haha. Okay, well, it'll be fun. Marshmallows." he grinned.

"Yum, I can't w-"

"Excuse me, Isabella?" a smooth voice cut in. I cocked my head to see the goodlooking man identified by his platinum blonde hair and baby blue eyes.

"James, how are ya?" I asked, casting a look at Jacob. He was glaring at James suspiciously. Oh men.

"Very good, Bella. You look stunning, by the way." he said, picking up my hand and kissing it softly.

I giggled like a teenage girl, "Smooth, James."

"All part of the charm." he replied, "Jacob." he nodded.

"James." was Jacob's stony response.

"So…hiking." I said as a conversation starter.

"Hey Bella." Riley's voice greeted behind us. I whipped around to find him and Marshall holding a tray of coffee and a bag of doughnuts in their hands.

"Food?" Marshall asked.

"Oh God, you two are my fucking heros." I sighed, reaching in the bag and pulling out a maple doughnut. "I'm so hungry."

I didn't miss the smug smiles Riley and Marshall shot James and Jacob, who were pouting adorabily.

"Where's Edward?" I asked after a moment.

"Who the hell cares? Probably working on that ridiculous hair of his." laughed Marshall.

"Hey, I think his hair's nice." I defended as the bus in front of us started up. I also became aware for the first time of the camera man standing off to the side. It was so easy to forget about them.

"Are you kidding me?" James asked in disbelief, "It looks pathetic."

"Well, I would expect you to appreciate Edward's hair properly, James. Since you're straight and all." I sniped. Edward's hair was fucking hot.

"Why thank you, Ms. Swan." Edward's velvet voice crooned behind me. Riley muttered a silent "get lost" and I stomped on his foot.

"Hello, Edward." I said, turning to face him. Damn...he looked...wow. He was dressed in faded jeans and a black peacoat that made him look totally GQ worthy. Like he just stepped off one of their photo shoots.

"Isabella. Pleasure seeing you again." he said, looking at the others with mild amusement. I stifled a laugh at their stony faces.

"Likewise, have some food." I offered kindly.

He shook his head, "I just had some on my way here. Thank you for offering, though." he smiled crookedly. "I do look forward to getting to know you better."

"Uh huh." I breathed back dumbly. I think I just melted into a puddle of goo.

"Alright. This is getting a little too cozy for my liking." James muttered, stepping in between us. I took a few seconds to get my rapid breathing under control. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward smirk at my reaction.

Fucking cocky bastard.

We continued making light conversation until Drew told us we had to board. I stepped on to the old company bus, sitting down on the first leather seat. It was the kind that had its back to the window, so that I could see the person sitting across from me. James slid in to my right, and Jacob to my left. Marshall and Riley took opposite seats, and Edward sat in the far back.

"Edward, come join us." I said, a little puzzle.

He glanced up at me, "I'm sorry, Isabella. I have a call I need to take."

Humph.

"Take your time." Jacob sneered, wrapping one of his bear arms around me.

Edward looked at him, his hard emerald gaze piercing.

"I will, Jacob." he said quietly, before turning back to his Blackberry.

There was an awkward silence as we began to move, the streets of New York rushing past us. Most of the time, we just sat, gazing at the scenery, or in my case, ogling Riley's thighs. Gosh, I was such a whore. Every once in a while, someone would attempt to break the silence, only to get little reaction. The only voice that was heard was Edward's urgent one.

"...no, no, no...that wont do at all, change it...fine, then fire him...I don't give a shit, Jenks...this is a major fuck-up...brief me in an hour...yes, tell him okay...make sure that report gets to Carlisle...yes, that's what I just said? Are you deaf, Jenks?...Dammit, I am this close to firing you..." Edward's snappy voice filled the bus.

"What an asshole." James pouted, "Thinks he's so much better than everyone else just because he's a damn Cullen."

I had to agree.

"Did you hear what his father did to the whole company in Los Angelos right before the show?" Jacob whispered.

"No, what?" I asked.

"He shut the whole place down, leaving 2,000 workers to fend for themselves. No compensation or anything."

"Why?" asked Riley.

Jacob shrugged, "Who knows? They whole thing was kept really quiet. Cullen must have paid the media big bucks to keep it quiet." he inferred.

"How do you know then?" pressed James.

"My sister worked for him. She wouldn't say a word about it though." he frowned.

"That sucks." I mumbled, just as we came to a stop.

"Alright, lady and gentlemen, come on along." Drew boomed. All five of us jumped simontaneously.

One by one, we filed out into the beginnings of Bear Mountain. It was a stunning place. All green shrubery, trees swaying in the wind everywhere, the dimmed sunlight peeking through.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jacob sighed, "Kind of like Forks."

"Yeah." I smiled, "A little too windy though."

James and Riley came off next, backpacks on shoulders, their faces strangely confused.

Before I could ask them about it, a loud crash came from inside the bus. And by loud, I mean really fucking loud.

And then an angry voice yelled from inside,

"YOU BASTARD!"

Another thump, and then it was silent again.

* * *

_**Not really good with cliffies and stuff. Don't worry, we still get to find out what happened on the third date. Who likes the cocky Edward? Eh...atleast he's still hot.**_  
_**Thanks for reading. Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase review. It's always nice to know someone doesn't think I'm a shit ass writer. Make me feel better people, because got an 81% on my last English essay. Poo. Okay yea so click that review button! *mwah!***_

_**Next chapter should be out by New Year...hopefully?**_

_**Ema :)**_


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